Sociologist Dr. Stephen Klineberg and author Claudia Kolker explore the impact and influence of immigrant communities on Houston's changing demographics and the contributions they make to the city's cultural vitality.

Presented in partnership with Houston Arts Alliance.

About Stephen Klineberg

A graduate of Haverford College, with an MA from the University of Paris and a PhD from Harvard, Stephen Klineberg joined Rice University's Sociology Department in 1972, after teaching at Princeton. In 1982, he and his students initiated the annual "Houston Area Survey," tracking the remarkable changes in the demographic patterns, experiences, attitudes, and beliefs of Harris County residents. The recipient of ten major teaching awards at Rice, including the Lifetime Award for Excellence in Teaching, Klineberg is writing a book on the Houston surveys and serving as co-Director of Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The mission of Institute is to provide a permanent home for the annual surveys, to stimulate other metropolitan research, to sponsor educational programs, and to engage in public outreach that advances understanding of pressing urban issues and fosters the development of more humane and sustainable cities.

About Claudia Kolker

Claudia Kolker is an award-winning journalist who has reported from Mexico, El Salvador, the Caribbean, Japan, and India. A former Los Angeles Times bureau chief and former member of the Houston Chronicle editorial board, she has also written for The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Economist, O: The Oprah Magazine, Slate, and Salon.

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